1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to packages for holding needles and attached sutures; in particular, packages that permit a needle and suture to be removed without any suture binding.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the packaging of surgical needles, including surgical needles to which there are attached sutures, it is important that the needle and its attached suture be easily removable from the package in one smooth motion. When the needle is grasped by a forceps and pulled, the needle should easily release from the package, and the suture should withdraw from the package smoothly, without binding or snagging in the package, and without becoming entangled. Also, suture materials, particularly monofilaments such as catgut, polydioxanone and the like, especially the heavier deniers, are known to take a set during storage; i.e., they tend to have a "memory" causing them to retain the shape of their position in the package after removal from the package. Hence, the package should be designed to eliminate any tight bends or curves required in order to package the suture.
It is further desirable for suture packages to be economical to manufacture in volume quantities. A manufacturing process directed toward this end is one in which the suture package is formed of two interlocking molded, stamped, or thermoformed polymeric members. Such a process permits the formation of projections useful for winding and capturing the suture in channels designed for that purpose. In addition, the fine tolerances necessary in the execution of a precision design can be maintained.
Oval wrap suture packages have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,498, issued Oct. 9, 1990 to Kalinski et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,902, issued Nov. 6, 1990 to Sobel et al. These packages include a structure to hold (or "park") a needle and an oval ("racetrack-shaped") channel for retaining a suture that is attached to the needle. Although the two-piece package of Kalinski et al. and the one-piece package of Sobel et al. permit needled sutures to be removed from their packages with only infrequent snagging of the suture, the inconvenience and cost (both time and money) of snagged sutures provide an incentive to fabricate packages that minimize the likelihood of a suture being impeded as it is removed from its package.